KAYSVILLE — Was the meal hot when served? How did it look? Was it appetizing, and how spicy was it?

These are among questions that Davis County senior citizens who participate in the senior services division meals may be asked soon.

The division is preparing a survey that will be given to seniors who eat the noonday meal at one of the three senior activity centers. It will also be given to home bound seniors who receive meals each weekday through the Meals on Wheels program.

A standardized survey of 51 questions is being pared down, said Kristy Cottrell, senior services director.

Some fine-tuning is also needed in how the questionnaire would be completed by the 330 people who receive homebound meals. It could be left in each home for several days and filled out with the aid of a caregiver or another family member.

But there are instances where no one visits the home, regularly, besides the Meals on Wheels runner, she said.

“We’re hoping for a 33 percent response rate,” Cottrell said.

“We’re concerned they may be getting a lower intake of fruits and vegetables. How many are they getting?” for example, she said of home bound seniors.

Preliminary surveys have shown home bound seniors are quite satisfied with the meals, rating them 4.4 out of 5 points, or at 88 percent. For those eating at the centers, the rate is slightly lower, between 4.1 to 4.3, or 82 to 86 percent.

“Most home bound meals are served in the Bountiful area, which has the largest senior population. The Clearfield area comes next,” Cottrell said.

For congregate or in-center meals, two meal choices are offered. Currently it has been the hot meal and sides, or soup and sandwiches.

In July, salads will be highlighted as a second option, Cottrell said.

“There are other changes we want to do,” she said. “We need to have meals at a lower caloric level, lower in starches. There is also concern with some fruits” and the sugar levels.

In addition, a carbohydrate count for each meal could be helpful for diabetics, Cottrell said.